Chapter 14…
Wedding Preparations
Ever since she’d called him “Brother Lloyd,” she hadn’t heard a single “brother” this or that from him again. She hadn’t been a fan of calling Ethan “brother” either, but Lloyd must have disliked it even more when she used the same title for him. As a result, Aileen gained two privileges: the right to freely call Ethan “brother,” and the protection of his escort.
That night, Aileen lay down in bed feeling good. Just knowing that Ethan was alive and well put her at ease. Her parents had visited today as well, and starting tomorrow, the wedding preparations would officially begin. That much, she had expected.
“All I have to do is get through this year peacefully and then go back home.”
She rubbed her cheek against the pillow. The soft fabric warmed her face gently.
She had seen her parents alive today, and met her brother too. She hadn’t expected to come to the Grand Duke’s estate, but just seeing her family alive made her feel as if she were dreaming.
It was a moment she’d thought would never come true. As if all the misfortunes in her life had been swept away. For now, she wouldn’t be able to see her family often because of the marriage, but once she divorced, she could see them as much as she wanted.
After the divorce, she could work freely too. If she told her family she wanted to work, they’d probably recommend, like her mother, that she enter the imperial palace as a maid. But Aileen wanted to do something different.
“Ah, right!”
She pressed down on the pillow and sat up. On the day she came to the Grand Duke’s estate, she had promised to meet a merchant to negotiate selling a medicine she’d made herself. She had completely forgotten to ask Ethan what happened to that promise.
“It was such a rare opportunity…”
The effectiveness of her medicine was certain, but since it was her first time opening a trade, she knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“It’s a shame… but it’s not like there won’t be other chances.”
And unlike before, even after the divorce, she would still be known as the former Grand Duchess. With that title alone, she could probably knock on the doors of several merchant guilds.
“I’ll sign a contract and sell it… Then I can use that money to start my research again. If I work all day, Brother will complain, so maybe I should build a separate workshop outside? But that’ll need a lot of money too.”
She frowned slightly as she pondered the funding issue, then let out a deep breath.
“I can just earn it.”
With her family alive, how could money be a problem? As she drifted on the edge of sleep, a faint smile formed on Aileen’s lips. Just thinking about her future filled her heart with excitement as she slipped into a peaceful sleep—
—blissfully unaware of what awaited her.
The next morning, Aileen washed up with the help of a maid and changed her clothes.
“Is there anything in particular you’d like for breakfast?”
It was Jane—the maid who had been speaking to her the most lately. Jane was the most experienced among the maids and had been the first to volunteer to serve Aileen.
Jane didn’t just respond mechanically like a doll; she cared for Aileen like an older sister would. It reminded Aileen of Lady Sarah, a woman from the neighboring house who worked in the baron’s kitchen. Sarah lived alone, but whenever she cooked too much food, she’d bring some over for Aileen to taste. It had always been so delicious.
“When I go back, I should ask her to make apple pie again.”
Knowing she had a home to return to after the divorce, Aileen replied comfortably.
“A simple soup sounds nice for breakfast.”
“If you only have soup, you’ll get hungry quickly. How about some stew and salad as well?”
“That sounds good.”
Jane exchanged a quick glance with another maid to give the order, then continued assisting Aileen. She seemed especially attentive about meals today, which made Aileen glance at her curiously.
“You’ll be busy all day with the wedding preparations. I’ll bring you snacks in between, so please make sure to eat them.”
Aileen nodded solemnly, as if ready for battle. Because of that, some strands of her hair slipped out while the maid was tying it back.
She smoothed down her brown hair. It was still an ordinary color—not yet showing any golden tint—but thanks to the liberal amount of oil applied, it looked rather nice.
“You seem to be in a good mood today,” Jane said as she gently brushed powder over Aileen’s cheeks.
“Well, it’s starting to feel real now. I’m getting married, and I’ll be wearing a wedding dress too.”
Her good mood had carried over from the previous night, when she’d been happily daydreaming about her future and her brother’s safety. To Jane, she gave a suitably vague answer.
“Hehe, I hope you stay that way.”
Focused on inspecting her hair in the mirror, Aileen missed Jane’s words.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s fine—say it again.”
She was genuinely curious, but Jane never got the chance to repeat herself.
A firm, almost solemn knock echoed through the room, followed by dozens of people filing in, their arms full of things. Watching them, Aileen couldn’t help but think of ants—each carrying loads three times their body size without a single wobble. Jane, as if expecting this, stepped aside, and so did the other maids.
Suddenly, Aileen found herself alone on the sofa, the center of everyone’s attention. One woman, wearing an especially ornate dress, stepped forward.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duchess.”
“…Who might you be?”
In response to Aileen’s innocent question, the woman lifted her skirts and introduced herself.
“I’m Bella, the designer.”
“Phyllis, jeweler.”
“I’m Jaetan, from the Harium Merchant Guild.”
“Paul, gardener.”
Before she could memorize all their names, they surrounded her, presenting the items they had brought. That’s when their professions truly clicked in her head.
Jane whispered softly in Aileen’s ear,
“All of them are of lower status than Your Grace, so you don’t have to speak formally.”
But it was their intense, burning gazes—not their status—that made Aileen instinctively speak politely. Still, Jane was right, so she quickly changed her demeanor.
“So, what have you all brought to show me?”
“The jewelry is ready.”
“We’ve brought nightwear for you to choose from.”
“These are curtain samples for the newly decorated room. Which do you like best?”
“And flowers for the room’s décor…”
As people bombarded her with questions one after another, Aileen’s face grew paler by the second.
The “newly decorated room” must be the honeymoon suite. She’d assumed “wedding preparations” meant planning the ceremony, but apparently, it also included decorating the bridal chamber.
“Wait a second. Don’t all rooms already have curtains? Why replace them? Can’t we just leave them? And for flowers… as long as they’re fresh, that’s fine. Do I really have to pick nightwear too? As for the jewelry… Oh, I just have to say which one I like?”
She said whatever came to mind first, but that clearly wasn’t the kind of answer they wanted. Seeing their hesitation, she raised her hand to get everyone’s attention.
“It’d probably be best if you came up one by one.”
At her suggestion, they exchanged glances. The first to step forward was the jeweler, who laid out several boxes.
“I’m Phyllis, jeweler. These are my latest works. Each of them suits Your Grace perfectly—elegant and refined.”
“So I just pick one?”
“You don’t have to limit yourself to one. For example, this pink gemstone is a rare Mitrie stone, found only in the distant kingdom of Terralis. It grows in freezing winter caves…”
And thus began Phyllis’s long, detailed explanation.
Good heavens. He described everything—from the mining of the raw stone to the polishing process—so vividly that Aileen’s focus started to blur.
“I’ll think about it.”
Unable to decide on the spot, she postponed the choice. Phyllis stepped back with a knowing smile, and the curtain sample book was thrust in front of her next.
“Which color would you like for the curtains? As you can see, these lace ones are light and beautiful when the breeze flows through.”
“Then… any color from the lace ones—”
“But they don’t block out sunlight, so as the days grow longer, your room will be bright from early morning.”
“Then maybe something with moderate thickness—”
“But the way the sunlight filters through lace creates such beautiful shadows in the room.”
Apparently, lace was the prettiest, but it had drawbacks.
She began to wonder—should she buy them anyway, even knowing the drawbacks? Was it okay for her to decide this alone? She found herself spiraling into unnecessary dilemmas, unable to make a simple decision.
She hadn’t met that many merchants yet, but by the time Jane brought her some snacks, she already felt drained. Once the merchants left for the guest rooms, Aileen let out a deep sigh.
“Do I really have to do all this today?”
“It’s a bit tight, but as long as everything’s done by the end of the week, it should be fine.”
“But there’s so much…”
“His Grace, the Grand Duke, could finish all this in half a day, but… he’s a very busy man.”
“How does he manage that?”
“Rumor has it, he gives immediate answers to every question.”
“Is that even possible?”
I like to think I decide quickly, but I keep hesitating and stumbling…
“What should I do?”
Aileen wasn’t used to this kind of thing.
The stares of people waiting for her to finish her snack were so intense that she felt like her face was burning.
“What’s wrong?”
The voice wasn’t Jane’s—it was a man’s. Aileen’s head snapped up.
The man who had felt burdensome just yesterday somehow looked so reassuring today. She couldn’t help but smile… then her face fell into a worried expression almost immediately.
